Jane Eyre in Rockdale

Somewhat belatedly, we present this Australian production of Jane Eyre:

Picture Source.

Jane Eyre

The Guild Theatre - Community Theatre Group
Railway Street
Cnr Walz St, Rockdale

By Constance Cox
Directed by Anthony Stirling-Edgar

Small, plain and poor, Jane Eyre comes to Thornfield Hall as governess to the young ward of Edward Rochester. Denied love all her life, Jane can't help but be attracted to the intelligent, vibrant, energetic Mr Rochester, a man twice her age. But just when Mr Rochester seems to be returning the attention, he invites the beautiful and wealthy Blanch Ingram and her party to stay at his estate.
Meanwhile, the secret of Thornfield Hall could ruin all their chances of happiness.

Performance Dates
May 16th till June 7th 2008

May: 16, 21,23,24,28,30, 31 at 8 pm
May: 17, 18, 24, 31 at 2pm
June: 4, 6, 7 at 8pm
June: 7 at 2 pm

The Cast

Clare Mason, Paul Newton, Veronica Saville, Peggy Leto, Olivia Regueria Garcia, Adrian Thompson, Yolanda Spata, Denise Kitching, Geoff Greenup, Prudence Hudson, Paul Fabris and Hilda Janes.

Shire Arts posts additional information:

Stars glowing behind lace curtains, a fireplace and an antique chair. One could almost see the grey moors of Bronte country just outside the window. The attention director Anthony Stirling-Edgar paid to the set design was delightful, but there’s a lingering disappointment he didn’t pay as much attention to his actors.
This charming adaptation of Charlotte Bronte’s novel seems content to story-tell rather than to invent. Sticking to the text religiously, Constance Cox’s script will fill the every desire for fans of the book. Audience members will appreciate Cox’s clever editing of the notoriously lengthy text to unfold in one room of Thornfield Hall. And yet, it yearned for that little something else to set it apart from other page-to-stage adaptations.
Success depends on the sizzling relationship between the two lead roles. Filling the shoes of Jane is demanding work and Clare Mason almost achieves our heroine’s quiet yet passionate character, but lacks luster in her affection for Rochester. Paul Newton is also impressive as the love-sick Master of Thornfield Hall, but again fails to capture Rochester’s severity at the beginning of the play.
Stirling-Edgar has an eye for aesthetical precision which reflects in his casting choices. The supporting actors really do resemble the character descriptions in the book, but unfortunately were cast on appearance over acting ability.
At best Jane Eyre is a humble achievement, but will assuredly have you leaving the theatre with a romantic sigh.

Categories: Jane Eyre, Theatre